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1985 British Grand Prix
16 July |number = 412 |officialname = XXXVIII Marlboro British Grand Prix |circuit = Silverstone Circuit |location = Northamptonshire, Great Britain |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.719 |laps = 65 |distance =306.735 |pole = Keke Rosberg |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:05.591 |fastestlap = 1:09.886 |fastestlapdriver = Alain Prost |fastestlapnation = FRA |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 43 |winner = Alain Prost |winnernation = FRA |winnerteam = |second = Michele Alboreto |secondnation = ITA |secondteam = |third = Jacques Laffite |thirdnation = FRA |thirdteam = |scheduledlaps = 66}} The 1985 British Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XXXVIII Marlboro British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship staged at the Silverstone Circuit on the 21 July 1985.'British GP, 1985', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr412.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019) The race would see Alain Prost claim victory for , battling his way up from third on the grid after a record breaking qualifying session. Indeed, qualifying had seen Keke Rosberg grab pole with the then fastest ever average lap speed, the Finn having lapped Silverstone at 160.9 mph (259 km/h) to record a 1:05.591. That record would stand until the 2002 Italian Grand Prix, with Rosberg sharing the front row with Nelson Piquet, while Prost and Ayrton Senna shared the second. The start would see Senna's storm into the lead, leaving Rosberg, Prost and Piquet to fend off Nigel Mansell and Andrea de Cesaris. They were instantly given means to escape the rest of the field, as a four car accident through Copse eliminated Patrick Tambay, Stefan Johansson, Piercarlo Ghinzani and Philippe Alliot. Senna and Rosberg would ease away during the early stages, while Prost and Mansell fell behind a charging de Cesaris as the Italian claimed third. Unfortunately for the pilot his race was to be immediately hampered by tyre wear, meaning he soon fell back behind both the McLaren and the . The two Williams-Hondas would not last much longer, however, with clutch and exhaust failures for Mansell and Rosberg respectively ending their afternoons before half-distance. That left Prost with a clear run onto the back of Senna, while Lauda moved into third after a simple move on de Cesaris. Indeed, de Cesaris' race was to come to an end with a clutch failure just after the halfway point, while Lauda's race was ended by an electrical failure. Prost, meanwhile, would have to wait until lap 42 before he could catch Senna, although the Frenchman found the young Brazilian a very difficult obstacle to pass. For twelve laps the duel between the Frenchman's McLaren and the Brazilian's Lotus would rage, with Senna placing his car perfectly to block Prost's lunges. It was therefore a cruel and disappointing end to the fight when Senna's Lotus developed a fault in the fuel system and lost power, handing the lead to Prost. Senna's race was over a couple of laps later, the engine ultimately getting starved of fuel when the injection system failed completely. Prost was left to cruise home a lap ahead of the rest of the field, the chequered flag having been show a lap earlier than scheduled, with Championship leader Michele Alboreto and Jacques Laffite completing the podium. The results of the race meant that Alboreto had retained the lead in the Championship, although his advantage over Prost had been cut to just two points. In contrast, had managed to extend their lead in the Constructors Championship, moving eighteen clear of the now second placed McLaren-TAG Porsche effort. Background Into the Championship and Michele Alboreto had retained the lead despite failing to score at all in France last time out, although his advantage had been cut to five points by his two nearest challengers. Indeed, Alain Prost had moved back into second with 26 points, once again overhauling Elio de Angelis courtesy of his two wins to the Italian's one, although both remained serious title contenders. Keke Rosberg, meanwhile, had moved into fourth after his podium finish, while victory in France had catapulted Nelson Piquet up into seventh. Likewise, there had been very little movement in the Constructors Championship after the battle in Le Castellet, with eking out their lead to fifteen points. had remained their closest challengers in second, while had closed to within six points of their Norfolk based rivals. had also made ground in fourth, while ended the weekend just outside the top five after Piquet's winning performance. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Brundle would start from the pit lane after an issue on the formation lap. Race Report Results Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Senna was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† de Angelis was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90 of the race distance. Milestones * Marc Surer entered his 75th Grand Prix.'1985 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1985&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/03/2019) * 50th Grand Prix for Derek Warwick.'8. Britain 1985', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019) * Keke Rosberg recorded the fastest ever average lap speed for a qualifying lap - 160.9 mph (259 km/h). ** This would stand until Juan Pablo Montoya recorded an average lap speed of 161.449 mph (259.827 km/h) at the 2002 Italian Grand Prix. * Nineteenth victory for Alain Prost. * secured their 45th victory as a constructor. ** Prost also claimed McLaren's 30th fastest lap. * earned their fifteenth victory as an engine supplier. ** Also TAG Porsche's tenth fastest lap. Standings The gap at the top of the Championship had been cut to just two points as a result of Alain Prost's victory, the Frenchman ending the weekend on 35 points to Michele Alboreto's 37. Indeed, they also now had clear air between themselves and third placed Elio de Angelis, who slipped nine behind the aforementioned Prost, although he was still eight ahead of fourth placed Keke Rosberg. Elsewhere, Stefan Johansson had retained fifth ahead of Nelson Piquet, while Jacques Laffite moved into the top ten after his trip onto the podium. , in contrast, had extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship, moving eighteen clear of their nearest challengers. Those challengers were now defending Champions , who jumped three ahead of as the season hit its halfway point. Elsewhere, had remained in fourth ahead of , while moved ahead of and . Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1985 Grands Prix Category:British Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom